Implementation of virtual exchange at Goethe University Frankfurt : applying organizational, pedagogical and cultural aspects from three case studies

Abstract

By deploying a qualitative case study design the development project investigates the implementation of Virtual Exchange (VE) at three universities in Sweden, Germany and the United States in order to devise a VE implementation plan for Goethe University Frankfurt. VE is a complex collaborative online international learning and teaching format that requires different resources, structures and processes as well as the involvement of various stakeholders in order to expand across an institution. Based on a descriptive model suggested by Knoth and Kiy (2016) that was derived from a framework of internationalizing the curriculum, three success factors for VE implementation are the focus of this thesis. They pertain to organizational, pedagogical and cultural aspects. The study identifies best practices that relate to these success factors and discusses them in the context of previous research on VE.

Key findings of the development project entail that common structures and processes for implementation emerged from the case studies and previous research, the importance of top-down and bottom-up alignment for a functional implementation process, the relevance of comprehensive institutional and individual awareness of culture in international online learning environments, differences in the definition of VE learning outcomes brought about by divergent qualification frameworks and respective higher education systems, and a strong orientation towards employability in learning outcomes as a symptom of neoliberal understandings of global citizenship.